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Victory
Victory is an emergent deity of success and progress. She became widely known and worshiped in the country of Coranem after a time of chaos brought on by warring factions and terrible roving monsters. She is almost exclusively worshiped as a deity in Coranem. Around the world she is more recognized as a saint or folk hero rather than a deity, but Victory chapels outside of Coranem are not unheard of. Origin When the world was terrorized by monsters, massive battles against such beasts often tore apart fields and villages. One such beast was the Boar of the Burning Hills. She was thrown into a blood rage that lasted years when humans killed her children. Village after village was crushed beneath her hooves. The remaining villages rallied a militia to take her down. As they marched to her den they all sang songs praying for success. But none of the gods answered them. The battle field was strewn with the crushed and gored bodies of the village warriors. The mangled spirits, grieved and furious in their defeat, gathered together and from the bloodied earth shaped a warrior without peer. Unheard prayers made a true deity, and defeat became Victory. She single-handedly threw down the Boar and tamed the beast with her indomitable will. The beast would atone for its savagery by carrying her to the next battle. Victory was said to ride into battles for centuries until her body was no longer fighting fit. She took on many squires during this time and in the twilight of her life taught them everything they could possibly learn on the art of battle. Victory never died, but she did release her physical form to roam the earth in spirit. Teachings, Philosophy, or other key elements The goddess smiles upon any who have the ability and drive to attain their goals, by any means. While she doesn't oppose the notion of honor, she would not be pleased with followers whose honor guides them down a path of forsaking their goals. Games sponsored by the Victorious Church, therefore, have few hard rules. The Victorious Church sometimes sponsors extreme versions of common games, wherein rules that are instituted for safety or fairness are not heeded. High stakes are often included to make the competitors even more desperate to win. Gambling is a common activity that is sponsored by the church, and house winnings are often the main source of funding. War strategies, too, are not limited to what is good and honorable - However, Victory does encourage mercy if it is a possibility. Morally reprehensible strategies, too, are discouraged, but more for the sake of maintaining troop morale than anything. Strategies and solutions that are mutually beneficial or merciful are the best. An outcome that serves both sides - or at least minimizes losses for the defeated side - means there are more revelers when the war ends. Victory Songs - a book of Victory's teachings and philosophy - was penned by her squires near the end of her active era. These writings are interspersed between narrative songs of her great battles.Further volumes of Victory Songs were written by prominent clerics, but only the original volume is considered canonical. Victory is said to possess people who are at their most dire moments so she can drive them to success. It is difficult to confirm when these moments are true spiritual experiences or not, as it is not uncommon for people to lie about, exaggerate, or misinterpret these moments. Clerics actively discourage people from assuming the goddess possessed them unless they are certain- Rather, they encourage people to believe in their own talents and wits. Churches Stand alone churches are uncommon for Victory's places of worship. Instead, the clergy tends to set up chapels within an arena, a casino, a fortress, or some other building that serves its own secular purpose. Priests who are the property owner may have the church more integrated into the facility, rather than having the church added on. The clergy generally prefer to have events outdoors - therefore most locations chosen for worship sites also feature a suitable area for outdoor congregation. Churches of Victory will find it difficult to get by in places that have a strong stance of separation of church and state. Churches of Victory often have symbiotic relationships with military organizations, and being excluded from those or caught in red tape would hinder their activities considerably. Even in communities without a military presence, cooperation with local leadership is important for running games and events. Leadership There are two kinds of leadership positions within the clergy: Attainers and Triumphants. While they are mostly considered equal, they are differentiated by where they preside and thus may have greater authority in their element. Attainers maintain bases of worship, and Triumphants travel along side groups in need of Victory's guiding hand. Attainers are the head of each individual place of worship. An Attainer must also be the owner of a property where a church is held. However, not all church property owners are Attainers. Usually there are only one or two Attainers within a wide region. Attainers concern themselves with caring for local worshipers, managing festivals within the region, and providing any necessities for Triumphants and their retinue. Triumphants are traveling priests. Most often they attend armies or mercenary companies for a few months at a time, providing religious services (such as blessings, readings, death rites) and secular services (running games to improve morale, serving as a tactician, healing the wounded) for soldiers and leadership alike. During times of war, Triumphants will accompany major armies for the duration of the conflict. It is not uncommon for Triumphants end up on opposite sides or meet each other on the battle field. All Triumphants are competent soldiers in their own right. Often fit veterans are chosen for the position. As the Attainers provide spaces for Triumphants to recouperate and enable them in any way possible, Triumphants are obligated to provide news, knowledge, and spoils back from their excursions. New Attainers are elected by Triumphants, and new Triumphants are elected by Attainers. If for some reason these leaders cannot be elected normally, any contest of strength or skill agreed upon by all contenders will determine who rises to leadership. There are no other formal clerical ranks among the clergy, though individual groups may set up a hierarchy as needed. Triumphants will usually only take up to two clerics along with them to serve as squires. Attainers tend to keep more clerics at their sides, though the amount depends on the church size and locations.